Red
by darkenedshadow
Summary: Misty and Brock visit Ash at the asylum. What brought him there? What changed everything? [dark and angsty]


Red  
  
By petrock  
  
Prologue  
  
The hospital was in an old building that had Victorian architecture. Brock swiped a card at the front gate and the  
doors automatically opened. Misty walked through as quickly as she could.  
  
She knew that she was only being impatient, but she hadn't seen him all week.  
  
When Misty entered the infirmary, she was a little surprised about how "modern" the interior of the building  
looked. The waiting room had a tile floor and plastic chairs. It looked nothing like the Victorian interior.  
  
Misty looked around nervously, when she walked through the waiting room. He could hear a couple arguing,  
and a man, tapping his foot loudly and impatiently. She looked at Brock for strength, but Brock seemed just as  
lost in his surroundings as she was.  
  
Misty slowly approached to counter. "I'm....a visitor." she half whispered, half mumbled.  
  
The man at the counter didn't even look at her. "For who?" he drawled in a bored tone.  
  
"Ash Ketchum..."  
  
The man sighed and typed something in the computer. "Wait here. A doctor will lead you to his room in a  
minute."  
  
Misty started to walk to her seat when an doctor walked up to Misty and Brock. "Are you visiting Ash  
Ketchum?" he asked in a hard and razor edged voice.   
  
"Yes." Brock said quickly.  
  
"Only one of you can see him at a time. Who's going first?"  
  
Misty looked up at Brock, begging silently. Brock sighed sadly and nodded, before Misty stepped forward.  
  
"Very well, this way." the doctor stated impatiently. His was set in a scowl that seemed to be permanent.  
  
The doctor led Misty through a hallway with bland wallpaper, which was torn in some areas. She didn't usually  
go down this hallway, but she didn't want to say anything. The doctor wasn't the most approachable person in  
the world.  
  
*They probably just moved Ash to another room to make more room for some more patients or something,* Misty  
decided.  
  
The walk seemed to go on forever, as they passed an endless series of doors. The doctor's silence made Misty  
feel even more nervous.  
  
"Here." the doctor stated coldly, causing Misty to stiffen slightly at the shock of the sudden sound. He didn't  
give Misty enough time to recover as he opened the door, and waited impatiently for Misty to walk in.  
  
A gasp filled Misty's throat when she looked into the room.  
  
Ash looked so pale.  
  
He was still alive, but his eyes lost the life and vigor that they used to contain . Instead, they were dark pools of  
endless black, that seemed to sink into a meaningless void.  
  
He sat up in his bed, his hands shaking as they squeezed the side of his bed. His feet dangled at the side of his  
bed, and all he could do was look at the ground below his feet, as though they were about to be sucked into an  
endless black hole in the ground.  
  
"Ash...." Misty whispered softly, causing him to look up suddenly. His gaze was distant, and Misty felt her  
stomach sink.  
  
"It's me....Misty..." she whispered, forcing herself to continue as she placed a shaking hand on his shoulder.  
  
Ash flinched and scooted away from Misty. His eyes were wide and his whole body shook, as he pressed  
himself against the wall. Misty could see the long scar on the underside of Ash's arm, and she started to feel  
sick. A part of her wanted to look at it in fascination and horror, while another part of her felt repelled by it,  
because of everything it stood for.  
  
She forced herself to look away from the scar.  
  
"I won't hurt you...." Misty promised, trying to focus on his eyes. She moved towards Ash slowly and carefully,  
as his eyes followed her every move. Her hand started to reach to his face.  
  
"No...." Ash whispered so softly, that Misty could barely hear him.  
  
"But-" Misty started, still reaching towards Ash. She wanted to touch his face. She *had* to touch his face. She  
needed confirmation that he was real, that Ash hadn't been replaced by some robot in some cruel joke.  
  
When her hand came in contact with his face, Ash's eyes widened, and his whole entire body stiffened. "Get...  
Get away....please..." Ash begged in a choked voice. "Get away!" he screamed, pushing Misty off the bed.  
  
Misty's eyes widened when she hit the floor. Ash's violent action had surprised her more than it hurt her. Her  
temper started to flare up for a moment, but it fizzled as soon as she looked at Ash.  
  
He wasn't moving. Misty stood up quickly, and hovered over Ash, and was relieved when she saw that he was  
still breathing. His eyes were wide open, as though he was in a trance.  
  
Before Misty could do anything else, the door opened, and the doctor ran in. He casually pushed Misty out of  
the way and hovered over Ash. Misty could see Ash's eyes widen before the doctor firmly grabbed his arm.  
Ash cried out, and tried to struggle from the doctor's grip, but the doctor quickly stuck a needle into his arm.  
He stopped struggling and he started to cry.  
  
"What did you do to him?!" Misty screamed, clenching her fists.  
  
The doctor seemed to ignore her question as he started to lead Misty out of the room. "He's too unpredictable  
for visitors..." he stated calmly.  
  
Misty wanted to argue with him, but Misty remembered how Ash had pushed her away.  
  
He didn't even recognize her.  
  
A tear rolled down her cheek as Misty walked back to the waiting room where Brock was. A nurse was telling  
Brock that he couldn't visit Ash. She could see Brock's fists tighten at his sides.  
  
When he saw Misty, Brock's anger seemed to disappear, before his eyes filled with concern.  
  
"How is he?"  
  
Misty bit her lip. She wanted to speak, but her voice was caught in her throat. "He-" a sob caught in Misty's  
voice, but she felt a need to talk, to tell Brock about feelings she could barely verbalize. "He....was so afraid.  
He couldn't even recognize me." she dissolved into sobs, and she could feel Brock's arms wrapping  
around her.  
  
"Let's go...." Brock whispered, as he led Misty outside away from the dreaded sanatorium. Misty glanced behind  
her, and shuddered at the sight of the hulking building before turning back around.  
  
Misty sighed as she tried to remember what it was like before...before *everything* happened; before everything  
changed.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED 


End file.
